APPLETON – After spending time at an Appleton bar's weekly Lingerie Night last Thursday, prosecutors said Dennis L. Mitchell tried to kidnap one of the bartenders as she left work.

Mitchell, 45, appeared in court Monday for attempted kidnapping. He is also charged with soliciting prostitution related to a May incident. He denied the allegations when speaking with police on Friday.

Mitchell told police he attended Lingerie Night at Eager Beaver Bar, 1400 W. Second St., every Thursday to "unwind," according to the criminal complaint filed Monday in Outagamie County court. During the weekly event, bartenders wear only lingerie while serving customers.

A woman who identified herself as the owner of the bar said there was no Lingerie Night, although a weekly special posting on the bar's Facebook page advertised Lingerie Night from 7 p.m. to midnight. The woman would not elaborate on whether the event took place in the past.

The bartender said she recognized Mitchell from his weekly visits and previously had to ask him to stop taking pictures because it made the bar's employees uncomfortable, the complaint states. She also said Mitchell had followed another bartender home recently.

On Thursday, Mitchell's black Chevrolet Trailblazer was parked behind the woman's vehicle, and she said he ran up to her as she walked toward her car, tried to put a black plastic bag over her head and shushed her, prosecutors said.

When the woman yelled and struggled, several people on a nearby porch ran over to the pair, and Mitchell dropped the bag and ran, according to the complaint. Police later found the plastic bag, which contained a Walmart receipt. Investigators obtained surveillance footage from the store that they said showed Mitchell at the time of the purchase.

Mitchell acknowledged going to Lingerie Night on Thursday and said he left around 10:30 p.m., but denied any type of altercation after leaving the bar. He said he's been living at the Fox Valley Warming Shelter for three months and goes to Eager Beaver Bar on Thursdays after work.

Investigators linked Mitchell's vehicle to a second incident that happened at Summer and Fourth Streets in early May. A woman told police the vehicle approached her from behind and the driver offered her $1,000 for oral sex, court records state. The man told her to get in his vehicle, but drove away when she refused the offer.

Last week, police spoke with the second woman and showed her a photo of Mitchell and his vehicle. The woman said there was no question Mitchell was the person who tried to solicit her, the complaint states.

On Monday, the court set a $50,000 cash bond for Mitchell and ordered he have no contact with the victims in either case. He faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence if convicted.